diff --git a/packages/agent-bundle/tests/cli.test.ts b/packages/agent-bundle/tests/cli.test.ts
index 315c58697..39b109dcf 100644
--- a/packages/agent-bundle/tests/cli.test.ts
+++ b/packages/agent-bundle/tests/cli.test.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import { promisify } from 'node:util';
 import { expect, it } from '@rstest/core';
 
 import { runCli as runSourceCli, type CliDependencies } from '../src/cli.ts';
-import { cachedNpmInstallArguments } from './support/shared-pack.ts';
+import { cachedNpmInstallArguments, packOutputFromJson } from './support/shared-pack.ts';
 import { timeScale } from './support/time-scale.ts';
 
 const execFile = promisify(executeFile);
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ const createPackedConsumer = async (): Promise<{ readonly cli: string; readonly
   const { stdout } = await execFile(
     'npm', ['pack', '--json', '--pack-destination', root], { cwd: packageRoot },
   );
-  const [packed] = JSON.parse(stdout) as Array<{ readonly filename: string }>;
+  const packed = packOutputFromJson(stdout);
   await writeFile(join(root, 'package.json'), '{"type":"module"}\n');
   await execFile(
     'npm', ['install', ...cachedNpmInstallArguments, join(root, packed.filename)],
diff --git a/packages/agent-bundle/tests/doctor.test.ts b/packages/agent-bundle/tests/doctor.test.ts
index 4dd9e2427..9d6f10e35 100644
--- a/packages/agent-bundle/tests/doctor.test.ts
+++ b/packages/agent-bundle/tests/doctor.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { cp, mkdir, mkdtemp, rm, symlink, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
+import { spawn, type ChildProcess } from 'node:child_process';
 import { createServer, type Server } from 'node:net';
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { dirname, join } from 'node:path';
@@ -558,16 +559,16 @@ const close = (server: Server): Promise<void> => new Promise((resolvePromise, re
   });
 });
 
-const findDeadPid = (): number => {
-  for (let pid = 4_194_000; pid > 0; pid -= 1) {
-    try {
-      process.kill(pid, 0);
-    } catch (error) {
-      if ((error as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code === 'ESRCH') return pid;
-    }
+const findDeadPid = (): Promise<number> => new Promise((resolvePromise, reject) => {
+  const child: ChildProcess = spawn(process.execPath, ['--input-type=module', '-e', ''], { stdio: 'ignore' });
+  const { pid } = child;
+  if (pid === undefined) {
+    reject(new Error('Unable to spawn a child process for a dead pid fixture.'));
+    return;
   }
-  throw new Error('No dead pid found.');
-};
+  child.once('error', reject);
+  child.once('exit', () => { resolvePromise(pid); });
+});
 
 it('scans live sockets and a lock with a live sibling without warnings', async () => {
   const fixture = await temporaryDoctor();
@@ -595,11 +596,12 @@ it('reports stale sockets and stale locks as warnings', async () => {
   const fixture = await temporaryDoctor();
   const staleSocket = join(fixture.endpointDirectory, 'event-stale.sock');
   const staleLock = join(fixture.endpointDirectory, 'event-claimed.sock.lock');
-  const staleServer = await listen(staleSocket);
-  await close(staleServer);
-  await writeFile(staleSocket, '');
-  await writeFile(staleLock, '');
   try {
+    await mkdir(fixture.endpointDirectory, { recursive: true });
+    // Match event-ipc stale-endpoint fixtures: a regular file at the socket
+    // path refuses connections and is classified as stale by Doctor.
+    await writeFile(staleSocket, 'stale socket');
+    await writeFile(staleLock, '');
     const report = await runDoctor({
       endpointDirectory: fixture.endpointDirectory,
       home: fixture.home,
@@ -610,6 +612,7 @@ it('reports stale sockets and stale locks as warnings', async () => {
       expect.objectContaining({ path: staleLock, state: 'stale-lock' }),
     ]));
     expect(report.endpoints.summary.staleLocks).toBe(1);
+    expect(report.endpoints.summary.staleSockets).toBe(1);
     expect(report.diagnostics).toEqual(expect.arrayContaining([
       expect.objectContaining({
         code: 'AB7314',
@@ -630,7 +633,7 @@ it('reports stale sockets and stale locks as warnings', async () => {
 it('reports a lock with a provably dead owner as a stale lock warning', async () => {
   const fixture = await temporaryDoctor();
   const staleLock = join(fixture.endpointDirectory, 'event-dead-claim.sock.lock');
-  const deadPid = findDeadPid();
+  const deadPid = await findDeadPid();
   try {
     await mkdir(fixture.endpointDirectory, { recursive: true });
     await writeFile(staleLock, `${JSON.stringify({ pid: deadPid })}\n`);
diff --git a/packages/agent-bundle/tests/support/packed-native-smoke.ts b/packages/agent-bundle/tests/support/packed-native-smoke.ts
index aeeebbe5d..c62f10484 100644
--- a/packages/agent-bundle/tests/support/packed-native-smoke.ts
+++ b/packages/agent-bundle/tests/support/packed-native-smoke.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import { promisify } from 'node:util';
 
 // The native smoke installs the production closure a real consumer would get,
 // so it stays on npm's default metadata staleness checks.
-import { npmInstallArguments, sharedPackedTarball } from './shared-pack.ts';
+import { npmInstallArguments, packOutputFromJson, sharedPackedTarball } from './shared-pack.ts';
 import { deepFreeze } from '../../src/core/freeze.ts';
 
 
@@ -356,15 +356,15 @@ export const runPackedNativeSmoke = async (options: {
       cwd: packageRoot,
       environment,
     });
-    const listing = JSON.parse(packed.stdout) as readonly { readonly filename: string }[];
-    if (packed.exitCode !== 0 || listing.length !== 1 || listing[0] === undefined) {
+    const packOutput = packOutputFromJson(packed.stdout);
+    if (packed.exitCode !== 0) {
       throw new Error('Packed native smoke could not create exactly one release tarball.');
     }
     const installed = await runNodeEntrypoint(npmEntrypoint, [
       'install',
       '--omit=dev',
       ...npmInstallArguments,
-      join(tarballs, listing[0].filename),
+      join(tarballs, packOutput.filename),
     ], { cwd: consumer, environment });
     if (installed.exitCode !== 0) throw new Error('Packed native smoke could not install the release tarball.');